Artwork by
Dennis Murphy

For the students, by the students

McLaughlin devotes work to high school ministry
By Matt Dingler, Corner Post staff

Some people cannot wait to get out of high school. After suffering through four long years of it, they vow to never go back. But Mizzou student, John McLaughlin, is not one of these people.

“My freshman year (of college) I spent five days a week a Jeff. Jr.,” McLaughlin said. “Monday, Wednesday, and Friday mornings before school started, plus Tuesday and Thursdays at lunch.”

No, McLaughlin is not some loser who cannot make friends in college. He is part of a high school ministry called Young Life.

“Young Life is a non-partisan Christian outreach focused on high school and middle-school age kids,” McLaughlin said.

It uses volunteer leaders who get to know kids, befriend them, and eventually share the gospel with them.

McLaughlin was introduced to Young Life his freshman year of high school in Kansas City. After being on the receiving end of the ministry throughout high school, he knew college was the time to give back.

To become a Young Life leader, McLaughlin had to go through a 9-week training program called My Life.

“In my life, we looked at how Jesus did ministry and applied it to how we would be doing ministry as Young Life leaders,” said McLaughlin.

McLaughlin’s first assignment was at Columbia’s Jefferson Junior High School.

“Leap of faith, it was the toughest situation…they (the students) could ignore you or think you’re cool,” McLaughlin said.

After building relationships with junior high students during his freshman and sophomore years of college, McLaughlin now spends a lot of his time at Rock Bridge High School.

“It’s real tough to manage my time, and my grades suffer a little,” McLaughlin said.

McLaughlin said he does not worry about his personal life so much. He knows he’s making a difference in lives of young people.

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